Plymstock & District

Groups

We have all learned to think more carefully in the wake of the pandemic and would request that if you are not feeling well or have been in close contact with someone who is infectious please consider others and stay away.

We currently have about 33 interest groups, and the majority of our members join one or more of them, so we hope that any new members can find something which appeals to them, as they cover a wide range of topics.

Each group is a "self-help" group, i.e there are no paid teachers allowed to run a group, and each member of the group is both a learner and a teacher, with everyone learning together and passing on any expertise they may have. Some groups of course are just for fun, e.g. Natural History, Devon Pubs, Puzzling, Lunch Club etc, but even with those it is hoped that every member of the groups will help out when they can.

For each group there has to be a Group Leader who is the Contact for that group. They are responsible for arranging meetings, venues, dates and times etc, and also for keeping details of group members and a register of attendance at meetings. They are also responsible for notifying the Groups Co-ordinator, the Newsletter Editor, and the Webmaster of any changes to their groups, e.g. change of venue or day etc. If there is an accident in any group, especially if the accident includes personal injury which may require treatment, then it is the responsibility of the group leader to arrange this and then to complete an INCIDENT REPORT form (download it from this page), and send it to the Business Secretary.

If the group is small then often the meetings are held in someone's house, where it is expected that a small charge of 50p will be made for tea, coffee etc. If the group is larger then meetings are held in some local venue. This will mean that a charge will be made for hire of the room or, as is the case with some venues, you will be expected to buy a drink. If a group has a lot of members then a waiting list may have to be drawn up. If the Group Leader finds that a member has not attended three consecutive meetings (without notification), they can be deemed to have left, and someone else given a place in the group.

We could do with a few more groups, so if you think that a certain subject would appeal to people then do please think about starting up a group yourself. Any topic will be welcome, from a Crossword Club to learning Outer Mongolian (if there is such a language)! It's not as daunting as you may think running a group, and you make lots of new friends and hopefully acquire a few new skills along the way. Our Groups' Co-ordinator, Richard Harvey, will be delighted to hear from you.

BURSARY SCHEME
We have a Bursary Scheme for groups, to claim for financial help for certain projects. This is not for normal expenses, but for projects which will assist in the learning process for that group, e.g. to pay the fees for an expert in a certain field which will mean that their expertise can then be used to help that group to move on.

The Bursary Rules have been updated with effect from 05 February 2024. To download the updated rules to include an Application Form please click on the Link to the right.

Click here for advice on JOINING A GROUP

Click here to see FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS and ANSWERS to help with STARTING A NEW GROUP

FOR FULL DETAILS PLEASE CLICK ON THE NAME OF A GROUP FROM THE LIST BELOW , or click on Calendar to find out about when Groups meet and other details about their activities.